This invention relates to a message communication technique, and more particularly to, a technique for detecting the reception or transmission of a message related with a previously-transmitted or -received message.
Conventionally, such a technique is used to manage the reception of a reply message to a request message, to manage the transmission of a circular message and to provide an additional service function as to the relation between messages, in the utilization manner that several messages are communicated being related with each other, e.g., a reciprocative message and a circular message. For example, Japanese patent application laid-open No. 9-8839(1997) discloses an electronic message service technique for confirming a reply message to a transmit message which is provided with a transmit message managing means for storing and managing the content of a transmit message, and means for comparing the content of reply message with the content of transmit message managed by the transmit message managing means. When it receives a message, the comparing means searches transmit messages managed by the transmit message managing means by using a title and a sender to be described in the received message. When a transmit message with a title and a receiver that are identical with the title and sender in the received message is found as the result of researching, it is judged that the received message is the reply message to the transmit message. When no corresponding transmit message is found, it is judged that the received message is not any reply message to a previously-transmitted message.
However, there are problems in the conventional electronic message service technique. The first problem is that an unrelated receive message may be erroneously judged as the related message. This is because the relation between messages is judged on the basis of the message-dependent values, such as a title and a sender, that even an unrelated message can have the same values.
The second problem is that even a related message may be erroneously judged as an unrelated message. This is because the relation between messages is judged on the basis of the message title that the receiver can edit. Namely, when the receiver makes a reply message, he may edit a title such as xe2x80x9creply to (original title)xe2x80x9d. In this case, the reply message must be judged as unrelated message to the transmit message in the conventional electronic message service technique.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a message processing method by which a message related with a previously-transmitted or -received message can be securely detected.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a message processing device by which a message related with a previously-transmitted or -received message can be securely detected.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a message processing system by which a message related with a previously-transmitted or -received message can be securely detected.
It is a still yet further object of the invention to provide a recording medium by using which a message related with a previously-transmitted or -received message can be securely detected.
According to the invention, a message processing method, comprises the steps of:
transmitting a transmit message while adding a unique transmit ID to identify the transmission of a transmit message to the transmit message;
registering the correspondence between the transmit message and the transmit ID into a storage when the transmit message is transmitted; and
judging that a receive message is related with a previously-transmitted transmit message when the receive message to which ID identical with a transmit ID registered in the storage is added is received.
According to another aspect of the invention, a message processing method, comprises the steps of:
generating a unique receive ID to identify the reception of a receive message when the receive message is received;
registering the correspondence between the receive message and the generated receive ID;
judging that a transmit message is related with a previously-received receive message when the transmit message to which ID identical with a receive ID registered in the storage is added is transmitted.
According to another aspect of the invention, a message processing method, comprises the steps of:
generating a unique receive ID to identify the reception of a receive message when the receive message to which a unique transmit ID is added by a sender is received;
registering the receive message into a storage while adding the generated receive ID to the receive message;
extracting a transmit ID given by the sender from a receive message to which a receive ID identical with ID added to a transmit message is added of receive messages to be registered in the storage when the transmit message provided with the ID identical with the receive ID registered in the storage is transmitted; and
transmitting the transmit message while adding the extracted transmit ID to the transmit message.
According to another aspect of the invention, a message processing method, comprises the steps of:
transmitting a transmit message to a second message processing device while adding a unique transmit ID to identify the transmission of a transmit message to the transmit message, and registering the correspondence between the transmit message and the transmit ID into a first storage, when the transmit message is transmitted, by using a first message processing device; and
generating a unique receive ID to identify the reception of a receive message when the receive message is received from the first message processing device, registering the receive message into a second storage while adding the generated receive ID to the receive message, extracting a transmit ID given by the first message processing device from a receive message to which a receive ID identical with ID added to a transmit message by the user is added of receive messages to be registered in the second storage when the transmit message provided with the ID by the user is transmitted, and transmitting the transmit message to the first message processing device while adding the extracted transmit ID to the transmit message, by using the second message processing device;
wherein the first message processing device judges that a receive message is related with a previously-transmitted transmit message when the receive message to which ID identical with a transmit ID registered in the first storage is added is received from the second message processing device.
According to another aspect of the invention, a message processing device, comprises:
a storage;
a transmission-managing means for adding a unique transmit ID to identify the transmission of a transmit message to the transmit message, and for registering the correspondence between the transmit message and the transmit ID into the storage when the transmit message is transmitted;
a message transmitter for transmitting a transmit message provided with a transmit ID by the transmission-managing means; and
a transmission-related detector for judging that a receive message is related with a previously-transmitted transmit message when the receive message to which ID identical with a transmit ID registered in the storage is added is received.
According to another aspect of the invention, a message processing device, comprises:
a storage;
a reception-managing means for generating a unique receive ID to identify the reception of a receive message when the receive message is received, and for registering the correspondence between the receive message and the generated receive ID into the storage; and
a reception-related detector for judging that a transmit message is related with a previously-received receive message when the transmit message to which ID identical with a receive ID registered in the storage is added is transmitted.
According to another aspect of the invention, a message processing device, comprises:
a storage;
a reception-managing means for generating a unique receive ID to identify the reception of a receive message when the receive message to which a unique transmit ID is added by a sender is received, and for registering the receive message into the storage while adding the generated receive ID to the receive message;
an other""s information adding means for extracting a transmit ID given by the sender from a receive message to which a receive ID identical with ID added to a transmit message is added of receive messages to be registered in the storage when the transmit message provided with the ID identical with the receive ID registered in the storage is transmitted, and for adding the extracted transmit ID to the transmit message; and
a message transmitter for transmitting the transmit message provided with the transmit ID by the other""s information adding means.
According to another aspect of the invention, a message processing system, comprises:
a first message processing device which comprises a first storage, a transmission-managing means for adding a unique transmit ID to identify the transmission of a transmit message to the transmit message and for registering the correspondence between the transmit message and the transmit ID into the first storage when the transmit message is transmitted, a message transmitter for transmitting a transmit message provided with a transmit ID by the transmission-managing means to a second message processing device, and a transmission-related detector for judging that a receive message is related with a previously-transmitted transmit message when the receive message to which ID identical with a transmit ID registered in the first storage is added is received from the second message processing device; and
the second message processing device which comprises a second storage, a reception-managing means for generating a unique receive ID to identify the reception of a receive message when the receive message is received from the first message processing device, and for registering the receive message into the second storage while adding the generated receive ID to the receive message, an other""s information adding means for extracting a transmit ID given by the first message processing device from a receive message to which a receive ID identical with ID added to a transmit message by the sender is added of receive messages to be registered in the second storage when the transmit message is transmitted and for adding the extracted transmit ID to the transmit message, and a message transmitter for transmitting the transmit message provided with the transmit ID by the other""s information adding means to the first message processing device.
Further, provided according to another aspect of the invention is a mechanically-readable recording medium which stores a program to operate a computer as a transmission-managing means for adding a unique transmit ID to identify the transmission of a transmit message to the transmit message, and for registering the correspondence between the transmit message and the transmit ID into a storage when the transmit message is transmitted, a message transmitter for transmitting a transmit message provided with a transmit ID by the transmission-managing means, and a transmission-related detector for judging that a receive message is related with a previously-transmitted transmit message when the receive message to which ID identical with a transmit ID registered in the storage is added is received.
Also, provided according to another aspect of the invention is a mechanically-readable recording medium which stores a program to operate a computer as a reception-managing means for generating a unique receive ID to identify the reception of a receive message when the receive message is received and for registering the correspondence between the receive message and the generated receive ID into a storage, and a reception-related detector for judging that a transmit message is related with a previously-received receive message when the transmit message to which ID identical with a receive ID registered in the storage is added is transmitted.
Also, provided according to another aspect of the invention is a mechanically-readable recording medium which stores a program to operate a computer as a reception-managing means for generating a unique receive ID to identify the reception of a receive message when the receive message to which a unique transmit ID is added by a sender is received and for registering the receive message into a storage while adding the generated receive ID to the receive message, an other""s information adding means for extracting a transmit ID given by the sender from a receive message to which a receive ID identical with ID added to a transmit message is added of receive messages to be registered in the storage when the transmit message provided with the ID identical with the receive ID registered in the storage is transmitted and for adding the extracted transmit ID to the transmit message, and a message transmitter for transmitting the transmit message provided with the transmit ID by the other""s information adding means.
Also, provided according to another aspect of the invention is a mechanically-readable recording medium, which stores a program to operate a computer for a first message processing device as a transmission-managing means for adding a unique transmit ID to identify the transmission of a transmit message to the transmit message and for registering the correspondence between the transmit message and the transmit ID into a first storage when the transmit message is transmitted, a message transmitter for transmitting a transmit message provided with a transmit ID by the transmission-managing means to a second message processing device, and a transmission-related detector for judging that a receive message is related with a previously-transmitted transmit message when the receive message to which ID identical with a transmit ID registered in the first storage is added is received from the second message processing device, and to operate a computer for the second message processing device as a reception-managing means for generating a unique receive ID to identify the reception of a receive message when the receive message is received from the first message processing device, and for registering the receive message into a second storage while adding the generated receive ID to the receive message, an other""s information adding means for extracting a transmit ID given by the first message processing device from a receive message to which a receive ID identical with ID added to a transmit message by the sender is added of receive messages to be registered in the second storage when the transmit message is transmitted and for adding the extracted transmit ID to the transmit message, and a message transmitter for transmitting the transmit message provided with the transmit ID by the other""s information adding means to the first message processing device.
First, in this invention, it can be judged whether a receive message is a reply to a previously-transmitted message or not when the receive message is received. This is achieved by transmitting a message while adding a transmit ID to identify the transmission thereof, registering the correspondence between the transmit ID and the message into a storage, and judging whether the receive message is related with a previously-transmitted or not based on the transmit ID registered in the storage and ID added to the receive message when receiving the message.
Second, in this invention, it can be judged whether a transmit message is related to a previously-received message or not when the transmit message is sent. This is achieved by generating a receive ID to identify the reception of a receive message, registering the correspondence between the receive ID and the receive message into a storage, and judging whether the transmit message is related with a previously-received or not based on the receive ID registered in the storage and ID added to the transmit message when sending the transmit message.
Third, in this invention, a transmit ID added to a transmit message can be securely added to a reply message to the transmit message. This is achieved by generating a receive ID to identify the reception of a message, adding the generated receive ID to the receive message and registering the receive message in a storage, and adding a transmit ID given to the receive message to a transmit message when the transmit message has the same ID as the receive ID registered in the storage.